Handle



Patented Dec. 45, 1944 UNITED; )STATES PATENT OFFICE n "2,364,105 "7' f HANDLE t John Epsockc, Pelham Manor,` N. Y., assignor to American Can` Company, New York, N..Y.`, a corprationfofNew Jersey i Applicatipn .ruiy z5, 1942, serial'No. 452,373 t 3 This invention relates to handles for containers and` has` particular `reference to` tubular` sheet metalguards or finger protectorsfor bails of containers which are intended for carrying heavy materials.V t f t f `An object-ofthe inventionis the provision of an` easilyidetachable hand `guard or protector i which is` adapted to be snapped onto a bail or Wire handle secured to a container for `carryingit and for` protecting `the hand of the carrier when the container is filled with heavy materials.

Another object of the invention is the provision of asmoothand` relatively inexpensive guard or handgrip made of light gauge sheet metal which will distribute the weight `directed onto the bail effectively as when lifting and carrying heavily lled containers. i

Another object of theinvention is the provision of a tubular hand guard having inturned walls, i terminating in diverging flanges which `are adapted to clamp or snap onto a substantiallystraight longitudinal; section of a wire handle `or bail, `convergent forces being effective from three directions when the guardis brought into clamped i engagement with the bail.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the i invention will be apparent as it is'better vunderstood from the following description, which, t taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing: t i; Figure lisa perspective view of an upper part of a `container having a `wire bail and a hand' guard embodying the present-invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side View ofthe conl tainer and parts shown inlig `1 with portions thereof broken tion; and

awayand parts shown in sec-l.

Fig. 3 is a sectionaldetail ofthe wire bail land l hand guard as viewed substantiallyalong the lines 3-3 in Fig. 2.

i Referring now, inmore detail to the preferred embodiment of the invention herein illustrated,

Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing illustrates the upper i portion of a sheet metal container or can Il.

Such a container comprisesa can body I2 having 1` metal ends i3 secured thereto as by end `seams I4. i The upper wall of the can has a bail clip I 5 gular in outline. This bail clip is formed with a bead I6 Which extends longitudinally ofthe clip, t setting off a recess I1 on its underside forgthe l reception of a wire bail or handle I8.` The wire is engaged lightly betweenthe walls of the resecured thereto, which is substantially rectan- `O` hinged connectionso that the bail handle I3` is free to swing` to either side of a .carrying position (Fig. 1) whennot in ,use or when the can u i is being tilted.

The bail handle 18 is an oblong ring which is` substantially rectangular in contour and is made from round Wire` stock. It has a major .longitudinal straight section 22 `adapted toreceive the e handguard or protector 230i the presentinvention. Lateralsections 24 of the `bail `merge ,into` angularly bent sections 25iwhichterminate in, `longitudinally aligned end sections 26. `The terminalendsof the wire are disposed in the re cess I1 of the bail clip and thus the bail is piv-` t otally securedonto thecontainer Wall.

Thehand guard 23` preferably is made of light gauge sheet metal and may be similar tothat material from which the canbody is made... The guard has an underside portion 21 (Fig. 31) fwhich is curved at a mid-region 28 thereby forming` a shallow pocket 29at themid-region.V Angularly disposed sections 321 extend outwardly and up-` `wardly from the midregion and thus form the hand protecting part of the guard. Eachof the angular sections merge into curved or semi- ,circular edge sections 33.

These edge sections merge into flat inwardly extended top Wall por-` tions 34 which thus give the hand guard a subt stantially oval or `elliptical contour in crossl section. t

The inner edges of the top wall portions 34 are turned inwardly of the guard and forni a pair of yieldable, spaced and laterally bent walls 35 which set off a channel 36 between them.` These Walls 35are substantially flat and parallel and i extend the full length of the guard from end to end. Within the guard the inturned walls 35 terminate in diverging anges 31, which are disposed adjacent the pocket29 atithe mid-region of the bottom portion `21 vofzthe guard. Such `flanges reenforce the lower edge of the walls 35 of the guard and then press the guardgently `against the bail. This action springs the yieldable walls 35` of the guard apart sufiicientlyto permit passageof the bail through the channel `between the waus thereof. At the bottom of the cess and the container body toprovide a loosely channel the bail snaps into engagement against the wall section 21 of the guard, the bail now being fully within the pocket 29.

Referring now to Fig. 3 of the drawing, it will be observed that the flanges 31 of the guard walls 35 snap over the inserted bail and cooperate with the curved mid-region 28 in a three-line contact clamping action which securely holds the straight longitudinal nsection 2.2 `of the .bail vin `the pocket of the grip at 4its mideregion 28. The resilient walls 35 hold the'diverging flanges 31 in this position against the bail and thus prevent accidental displacement of the guard.

At each end of the hand guard 23 a notch 38 (Fig. 2) is provided. Such a notchpreferably is located in line with the mid-region v223 goth-at When the hand guard is positioned on the bail for carrying, as shown in the drawing, the end walls of the notches are against the curved parts ofthe v bail as at 39. When in this position there isresistance to turning of the hand guard on the bail due to the combined friction-'betweenv the 'bail `and the guard in the region of the notches Ajust described and the three-line Contact clamping .1action of the anges 31 and lthe curvedrwall part 28 against the bail.

The bail |i8-with the hand guard'23 assembled thereon, is free to cscillate orrotate in its hinged connection with the container and .also in the shallow pocket 29 of the guardcconnectionas the container is being carried or'tilted The-broad, smooth under side at 'wall `portion 'of the hand guard protects the hand of the carrier vagainst chang and cutting .incident tosuch oscillation of the bail and is particularly .con-venient when the cans to which theyfare'applied are Y.heavily loaded. Furthermore, the `handguard can 'be turned over easily when the bailis swung into non-carrying position against 'the Wall fof the can. In such a position thernajor axisof the elliptical guard then isl parallel to the :can wall and the guard sections 34 rest directly on thefcan. The guard thus occupies .less space yduring-.shipment and storage. It will be evident that the guard may also be entirely removed,`if desired, and used repeatedly as a removable handle for other cans,

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes mayfbetmade inthe form, construction and `arrangement Iof the "parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of the -invention, or sacrificing al1 of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Iclaim: 1;In a bail fhandle for containers, the combination.ofatubularlsnap-on hand guard formed fromsheetnmaterial, a bail secured to the container, said hand guard being formed with a longitudinalnpocket for the reception of a section of said bail, said hand guard also having extended curved'sectionsmerging'inwardly into spaced-parallel walls,'each lof said parallel Walls 'terminating in va 'diverging i'langeysaid' flanges cooperating with said pocket to clamp said `bail yieldingly therebetween.

i2. In a ba'l h'andle for containers, the-combination of athree'line contact lclamped-'onthand guard and a wire'bailhaving ya straight longitudinal` section, said handguaird comprising atubular member-open along one aside substantially elliptical in# cross lsection -and vhaving la-'miizl-'por tion forming-a bail lreceiving pocket, a center `part of' said memberl opposite-the opening providing a longitudinal contactingfseatfor the s'traightisedtion of the '-bail, Ythe edges l o'f said `member ad jacent 'the open "side extending j inwardly with their respective ends yieldingly divergingand contacting spaced peripheral Vportions `of lthe Ythai] along spacedlongitudina'l lines whenthebail is seated in said pocket, whereby the'bail. is clamped insaidpocket.

' I JOI-IN SOCKE. 

